The Legend of Zelda: the Dark Trinity
by The Man Behind the Mask
Summary: Everything in the universe has two sides to it, even the almighty Triforce. This is the story of Link and Zelda's efforts to destroy three all powerful triangle of evil. Takes place immediately after Twilight Princess.First fanfic. please r&r.
1. Chapter 1

-1The Legend of Zelda: The Dark Trinity

In the beginning, when the very earth that we now stand on was but barren dirt, the three goddesses arrived. Three divine figures that took to the task of molding the beauty that you see today.

Din, the goddess of fire and power used her strong flaming arms to sculpt and create the red earth. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom and water used her knowledge to give the spirit of law into the world, and finally Farore, the goddess of courage and air used her rich soul to create all life forms who would uphold the spirit of the law.

Once they had finished their holy task, they each left behind a golden piece of energy to watch over their creation. The Almighty Triforce was created as a shining light over Hyrule, meant to keep the balance of peace and harmony.

But unbeknownst to the Goddesses, by creating light, they in turn created shadows. As the golden power was forged, its shadow slowly materialized into a much lesser known yet equally powerful relic, the dark Triforce. It is the very mirror image of the light Triforce, containing reversed versions of all its power. This cursed object was broken into three pieces and hidden in far-off regions of the world, never meant to see the light of day again.

Since then, thousands of years have passed……

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Towering forks of lightning streaked across the sky, briefly outlining the image of a young man riding atop a dark brown sorrel mare with flaxen mane and tail.

Several messy locks of blonde hair peeked out from underneath a long green cap that flapped violently in the rain, threatening to fly off into the sky at any moment. His clear blue eyes were brimming full of concentration as he strained to make out the distant shapes through the thick downpour of water and ice.

Strapped to his back was an ancient scabbard that housed a dimly glowing blade that bore the royal family's crest. Atop of that was a large blue shield baring the same crest.

He gently bounced up and down with the rhythm of his horse as they glided along the flooded path. As the horses hoofs skimmed across the deep puddles, they sent small sails of water streaming behind them.

Without warning, a brilliant flash of lightning struck the ground inches away from them, provoking the horse to rear up on its back legs. Its shriek pierced the night air like assassins dagger, and receded into the deepest trees of the woods.

The rider was roughly thrown from the saddle and fell backwards into the soggy muck of the overly-hydrated ground.

"Damn it!" he shrieked, barely audible over the constant roar of the rain

His face was completely covered in thick black mud, as was the rest of him. The rain wasted no time in revealing scattered spots of dark emerald green from underneath the dirt.

Unable to see through the mud, he cupped his hands to his mouth and calls out to the darkness "Epona!!"

No response.

"Epona!!!" he cried a second time.

The darkness did not reply.

He stood there for several minutes before staggering forward to what he could only hope was the correct direction toward his only mode of transportation through the spiteful weather.

His mind raced with horrible scenarios of him stranded in the middle of nowhere without Epona to get him out. He could feel his heart pump with adrenalin, and panic swept through his body. The thousands of tiny ice crystals constantly buffeting him suddenly felt stones being driven against him by some unseen force.

Just as he was about to succumb to the fear within him, a strange thing happened. Suddenly, the rain ceased to attack his body. He stood there dripping wet, listening to the rain but not feeling it. He stuck his hand out behind him and instantly felt the sting of the tempest once more, but quickly drew it back and was immediately greeted by the dry air.

Before he could solve the mystery, the loud whinny of a horse blindsided him from behind.

"Epona! There you are!" he yelled joyfully

He blindly groped through the darkness until he felt the soft wet fur of his beloved horse.

He unclipped a small lantern from his cow-hide belt and repeatedly flickered with its small metallic knob until a weak flame emerged from the nozzle.

Instantly, the area was bathed in a warm orange glow.

He looked up to see a thick canopy of trees, holding back the downwards torrent.

Upon seeing the trees he suddenly realized were he was. He excitedly raced forward and saw the familiar forest path of the Faron woods.

"I'm home." he whispered softly to himself.

"Epona we're home! We're finally home!" all panic instantly left his body, and was replaced with a brilliant sense of relief.

He was the happiest he'd been since Midna left.

Link was home

-END OF CHAP. 1-


	2. Chapter 2

CH. 2 the Dark Triforce of Fear

As Link led Epona through the well trodden path of the Faron woods he could hear the gentle rhythm of the rain pounding against the thick canopy of tree leaves.

As they progressed through the forest Link noticed a subtle decrease in noise. The usually loud chattering of tree squirrels was nearly inaudible. He listened carefully for the sound of monkeys running through the shrubs, but heard nothing.

"Something wrong here." he whispered to himself. "Come on Epona."

He hurried Epona along the trail, becoming increasingly anxious as they progressed.

Ever since they entered the forest the rain had been slowly declining to a thick drizzle. The lightning on the other hand had done nearly the opposite, and had nearly tripled in frequency.

Link broke out running in a wave of panic. He could feel that something in the air was amiss. His fears were fueled by the crisp aroma of burning wood that suddenly flooded his nostrils.

Temporarily forgetting Epona, He let go of her reins and burst through a dense wall of shrubs.

Several lines of lightning striped against the blackened sky, briefly illuminating the gruesome scene before him.

The remains of his village were left in smoldering mounds of ruble surrounded by Miniature Mountains of fire, which were desperately fighting against the rain. Everything had been completely leveled, every building was torn into pieces, and every piece was engorged in flames.

Link felt his innards tighten with horror and disgust. Slowly, the realization came upon him. His entire home has been destroyed.

The wind was hot and thick. The smoky air violently invaded his lungs, sending him to his knees in a coughing fit. His eyes stung with heat. He could feel the embers of approaching flames.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. What had happened to the villagers!?!

Ignoring his own pain, he rushed through the flaming pathway into the center of the village.

What he saw next shook his very soul to its roots.

There, lying only three feet in front of him was a small boy whom Link knew quite well. It was Rusl's son Colin. At least it looked like him.

It appeared to be a statue of Colin, but it was amazingly detailed. It was positioned with its hands raised to its eyes as though someone were shining a light at it. It also seemed to have a broken leg. The statue's leg itself was not broken, but rather it was made to look as though the subject who had modeled for had a broken leg.

Before he was able to recover from the shock he noticed another statue. Only this one was of Talo.

He stumbled over to the second statue to find that it was just as detailed as the first. It seemed as if they'd somehow been turned into stone.

Link looked around for more 'statues', hoping intensely that he would not find any. He did.

They were everywhere, and everyone. Fragmented stone bodies were scattered as far as he could see. They were all lying in poses of extreme agony. Few were completely intact. Link could identify every villager. Except for Rusl.

Had he not been present when the village was attacked? It seemed unlike him to run away in times of danger.

Suddenly, he heard a quiet groan coming from the edge of the river.

"Hello?" he said more to himself than out loud

"Link?" a weak voice answered back.

Link rushed forward to the river, carefully stepping over several fossilized bodies and a hawk which had been frozen in mid-flight.

He turned a corner and recoiled in horror at the sight of Rusl lying on the riverbank with his left arm and lower body turned to solid stone. His right arm had a large gash from his shoulder to his elbow and was bleeding furiously.

"Rusl!" he managed to say as he fumbled towards him. "What happened here? What happened to you?!?"

Rusl slowly looked up at Link. His faced seemed to have aged since Link had last seen him. Light was slowly yet steadily fleeting from his eyes.

"Link…" he said quietly. "I'm glad… that I got to see you… before I die." his speech was sporadic and broken. Link guessed it was because his left lung was probably useless.

"Rusl, what happened? Who did this?"

"For whom… I cannot say. As for what… I am not sure." even in death, Rusl seemed able to keep his wise demeanor.

"Why has everyone been turned to stone?"

"It is because… of a spell."

"What kind of spell?"

"A deadly one. It was cast… by a shadowy figure… who came out of… nowhere. It all happened… so fast… all I remember… is seeing the image of… the golden power."

"You mean the Triforce?" whispered Link, puzzled by the relic's connection to anything evil.

"Yes." Rusl replied. "And something else."

"What was it?"

"I saw… my wife… and my son…. And my newborn girl… and even you… all were lying on the ground… dead."

They were his last words, as the second as he finished the sentence; he fell back with a loud thud. The light completely vanished from his eyes. Never to return.

Links solemn grief was suddenly disturbed by deep booming voice from almost directly behind him.

"That one put up quite a fight, don't ya know." it said, seemingly amused with the situation.

Link instantly whirled around to see that the voice belonged to a large burly man standing on the opposite side of the river.

He was at least two feet taller than Link, and was clad in heavy looking armor. Thick leather straps decorated his body and held a large axe firmly to his back. His skin had a reddish tone to it that gave him the overall appearance of orangutan.

"Of all the sheep in this village, he was the hardest to slaughter." he smirked. "Although that doesn't say much." His voice had the quality of gravel in a blender, yet he spoke with a certain refined dignity.

Link stood his full height (which wasn't much compared to his opponent) and stared him straight in the eye.

"You killed them." he muttered angrily.

"Figured it out did you?" he chuckled to himself.

"Why?" Link said with tear in eye.

"Oh, just something to keep me entertained while I waited for you." he remarked, as if killing an entire village was no different than playing a game.

"You killed them, out of fun!" Link roared.

The strange murder smiled at him, seemingly enjoying his anger. "Actually, it was quite boring."

"Why were you waiting for me?" he said, still seething with anger.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked while scratching his leg.

"To kill me?!" Link quizzed.

"As a secondary mission yes, but first I want you power."

"My power." Link asked. "What power?"

"This power." he said calmly while he pointed the palm of his right hand at link.

Suddenly, the image of a triangle started glowing a faint purple on his palm. Before Link could do anything, the top of his left hand glowed in the shape of a bright yellow triangle.

All at once, Link realized what the purple triangle was.

"A Triforce!" he cried out.

"A dark Triforce." he replied coolly. "Which you may or may not know about, they have the opposite powers of the normal Triforce's that they reflect. For instance, my Triforce is the reflection of yours, and since you have the Triforce of courage, I have the Triforce of…" he prompted Link to finish the sentence with his hands.

"Fear?" he answered unsurely.

While Link was trying to understand what had just been said, the stranger was busy untying his axe. It fell to the ground with a large metallic clang, causing Link to become aware that he was in danger.

He lifted his axe with the lightest of ease and looked cheerfully at link saying. "Would you prefer it the easy way or the hard way, and I do hope you say the hard way?"

Instead of answering, Link swiftly unsheathed his sword and charged towards his newfound enemy. He quickly jumped over the river and swung towards his targets knees.

Without even flinching, the stranger twirled his axe so that it was perpendicular to Links weapon and easily deflected the blow.

Link, not discouraged, instantly rebound back at him with his sword raised high.

The stranger thrust his axe at the sword and sent it flying into the nearby lake.

It was now when the stranger made his move. He parried around Link and jabbed him violently with the blunt end of his axe. Link was sent reeling forward, and landed in the shallows of the lake.

The stranger made an incredible jump upwards and landed several feet in front of Link.

He swiftly booted Link in the face to send him rolling into deeper water.  
He Smiled as he watched Link sputter to the surface. "By the way, you want to know why they call it the Triforce of fear?" he called to him. "Because it can do this?"

He thrusted his palm forward, sending a beam of purple light flying from the dark Triforce to meet directly with Links head.

Darkness took over.

END CHAP. 1 


	3. Chapter 3

-1_**Legend of Zelda: Dark Trinity**_

Chapter 3:

Pain. Misery. Torture. Death. Heat. Hell. Link stood naked in a waist-high ocean of fire. All around him he heard haunting screams of agony. Among them was his own.

He was standing in the middle of Castle Town, except, it wasn't Castle Town. It was destroyed. All the buildings were torn down to stone and scattered on the ground. The city was literally leveled. The sky was redder than blood, and the ragged black clouds were seemingly the source of the screaming.

Somehow, Link knew that it wasn't just Castle Town that was destroyed, it was all of Hyrule.

He stood there for what seemed like hours with his mouth hanging open and his feet aflame. He couldn't understand how this could've happened. He stood there until his thoughts fell on the Princess.

"Zelda!" he cried as he shot off like a rocket.

He sped through the decaying streets at unattainable speeds. He blazed towards the ruins of the castle in such a way that a brick wall couldn't have stopped him.

"She can't be…., she won't be…., she couldn't be…." He rambled wildly to himself as he skidded towards the castle walls. "Please Din don't let her be."

Then he saw her. He stared in horror at what was once the great and beautiful princess of Hyrule. In front of him was the wooden gate to the castle, and nailed to it was the princess. She was held in place by six rusty swords. One in her stomach, two in her left leg, one in each arm, and the sixth in her throat nearly severing her head.

"EERRRRRRAAAAGHHGHGH" he yelled.

Tears streamed from his cold blue eyes like a river in girth. He rushed forward and brutishly pounded his fists against the wood. His hands penetrated the door sent splinters roaring into his flesh. He didn't care.

He fell shivering to the ground and stayed there for hours. Finally he got to his knees and tried to piece things together. He tried to remember how this had happened, but he couldn't. In fact, now that Link thought about it he couldn't remember much of anything.

Then he remembered his village. He remembered the dark stranger. Then he remembered the Triforce of fear. He remembered Russell's last words to him.

"You, my wife, and my child all lying on the ground…..dead."

"What he saw was an illusion, but that means that this is an illusion!"

The moment he spoke these words the stinging flames gave way to a soothing coldness. He drew in a sharp breath and got a lung full of water. He swam madly towards the surface and emerged in a mushroom of droplets.

He clambered onto the shore and checked himself over. He was shivering fiercely and his fingers were numb, but he was relatively unharmed and none of his possessions had been taken.

He looked into the river from which he had just emerged. He must have turned to stone and sunk to the bottom.

"So that's why they call it the Triforce of fear."

He knew he had to warn the rest of the kingdom. He looked for Epona but he couldn't find her. He would have to make the three day trip to Castle Town on foot.

But there was something else, something he didn't notice. Something was missing, and there was an unusually cold spot on the top of his left hand.


	4. Chapter 4

-1_**LEGEND OF ZELDA: DARK TRINITY**_

_Chapter 4_

It was high noon four days later when Link had finally reached the castle. The outer walls of the city loomed high above him, casting a mighty shadow against the Hyrulian plains. The sounds of every day life could be heard from just across the bridge. The sky was dark and the heavy clouds threatened to pour their contents to the earth.

Link gazed mournfully at his hand. He had realized that the Triforce had been stolen about a day ago. He was instantly downtrodden when he made the discovery and he carried his despondent mood still.

He was greeted warmly throughout the town and the castle guards gleefully showed him to the princess.

The moment he entered the throne room he felt a pair of long elegant arms wrap around him.

"Link, I heard what happened. Are you okay?" Her voice was laced with dread and terror.

"Yah, I'm fine." he replied in monotone.

He was in fact, not okay. His stomach was still tightly knotted from his horrific vision. It comforted him to see with his eyes that she really wasn't dead.

His morbid thoughts were pushed from his head when he noticed an elderly man standing in the corner watching them. He stood about five feet tall and wore a tight grey robe that clung to his decrepit figure, showing just how ancient he was. His head was adorned with a skull cap that matched his robe in both color and tightness. His chin was covered with a bristled stubby beard. He smiled warmly at Link.

"Hello." he said as he slowly approached them. His voice was no louder than a whisper.

"Hi." he answered as Zelda relinquished her grip on him.

"I don't believe we've met." the strange man uttered. "My name is Aleo."

"Aleo is my chief advisor." Zelda explained.

"My names-" Link began

"Link." Aleo finished. "There is no one in the kingdom who does not know your name. I wish we could meet on more pleasant terms. But I'm afraid that Hyrule may be in grave danger.

"Because of one attack on a little village?"

"I'm afraid that your village was only the beginning. Since it was destroyed several other towns have been attacked."

Link was taken back.

"But who, and why?"

"The man who attacked your village, he was looking for your Triforce wasn't he."

Link stiffened and rubbed the cold spot on the back of his hand. Ever since the Triforce was taken from him he had been feeling weak and vulnerable. Every time in the past when he had doubted himself he would just look down at his hand and let the soft glow of the Triforce fill him with pride and courage. He didn't answer Aleo's question, but his expression said it all.

Aleo frowned powerfully and deflated himself.

"I was afraid of that. Link, he didn't happen to mention anything about, a dark Triforce did he?"

Links eyes widened as he let out an audible gasp.

"How did you know?"

"Link, how much do you know about the Triforces?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know how they work?"

"Well sure, there are three Triforces, each one corresponding to the forces of courage wisdom and power. And when you combine all three of them together it creates the true Triforce which will grant its holder's any wish."

"In olden days it was called the Lightforce." Aleo nodded purposely. "Go on."

"There's more?"

"A lot more. First off, do you know the one wish that the Lightforce cannot grant?"

Link slowly shook his head.

"The Lightforce cannot be used to wish for its own destruction. If asked to destroy itself it will refuse."

"Okay."

"Now the dark Triforces are something different entirely." Aleo went on to explain. "They were accidentally created by the three Goddesses at the same time they created the light Triforces."

"And they have all the opposite powers of the regular Triforces." Link finished.

"Right." Aleo responded. "But there is one major difference between the light and dark Triforces. You see, like the normal Triforces is you assemble all three dark Triforces they join together to create what we call the Darkforce. But unlike the Lightforce the Darkforce will grant its user any wish they want without exception."

"So if someone got all three dark Triforces, they could destroy the Lightforce?" Link asked unsurely.

"Correct."

Link was confused. "But why would anyone want to destroy the Triforce?"

Aleo looked up at the light beams filtering through a large stained glass window above the large lavish throne. His eyes had the dull flicker of someone who has experienced more than a fair share of misfortune, and Link knew right away he was about to hear bad news.

"Who indeed?" he whispered after he had finally averted his stare. "Many centuries ago not long after the hero of time arose to vanquish the evil king, a coalition was formed. A coalition who called themselves the Knights of the Northern winds, and this coalition was founded by a man who saw how the great power of the Triforce lured mans attention so. He saw how men fought over the golden power with such gusto and decided that the only way to prevent a major war from braking out was to destroy the almighty Triforce. This man taught his followers that greed was mans nature and that as long as the Triforces existed that there would always be someone who planned to capture it. Its destruction was their only solution. So they planned to assemble all three triangles and use the lightforce to destroy itself. Of course, this proved to be impossible. After years of planning they had finally secured all pieces of the Triforce, but they still could not destroy it. Because their plan had failed the coalition disappeared and has until recently been thought to have disbarred."

"So, if the Knights disbarred then what do they have to do with what's going on?"

"I said the Knights were thought to have disbarred, but recently evidence has arisen that causes me to believe the coalition may be back. Along with the attacks, our royal spies have detected movement in Hyrules underground. They suspect that someone is preparing for some sort of large scale attack, possibly on the castle.

It is my belief that the Coalition has figured out how to use the dark Triforce to destroy the Triforce of light."

"Alright." Link said. "but if that is the coalitions plan then why did they steal my Triforce?"

Aleo put his hand to his chin and once again stared at the window. "I cannot say for sure. But we can't dwell on unknown details, the fact is that the kingdom is in grave danger. If we allow the Triforce to be destroyed then Hyrule will be defenseless against the forces of evil."

Link was about to respond when the large pair of double wooden doors at the opposite end of the room flew open. They swung against the cold stone blocks of the wall sending a loud crack reverberating throughout the room.

A small gangly man in a weak set of armor ran in and before anyone could object to his rude entrance he shouted "The Castle is under attack!"

END OF CHAPTER 4


	5. Chapter 5

_ZDT chap 5_

_It was raining now, the storm had moved in quickly while they suited up for battle. The small drops beat against the large window of the throne room with such precision and purpose that for an instant Aleo feared they might penetrate the fragile glass. They panned out as they hit the window and caste fleeting shadowy dots across the room. _

_Link was oblivious to the rain. He stood next to the door straightening his chest plate. A servant had brought him a full suit of royal armor and both Zelda and Aleo had insisted that he wear it. He had initially refused but after a short argument they compromised on the helmet, cuirass, and gauntlets. _

"_Any more would weigh me down." he said as he buckled his right glove into place. _

_Link stared at the opposite side of the room where Zelda stood. She was wearing an elegant suit of armor that was specially forged for her curvaceous body. It fit her form better that a glove, allowing for a full range of graceful movement. A purple silk skirt flowed out from under the armor plating at her hips and the royal crest shined brightly on her shoulders and chest. She fastened a shimmering long sword to her waist._

_Her head bobbed up and met his gaze. For an instant their blue eyes mirrored each other, the same set of eyes in two different heads. The intensity of the moment burned his eyes and quickly looked away to rub them._

"_Something in your eyes Link?" she said passively. He couldn't tell if she was being coy, or if he had simply imagined the passionate spark._

"_No, I'm fine, but we should hurry." Link mumbled as he pulled back the extravagant wooden door. _

_He held the door open as Zelda hurried out into the main hall. Link was about to follow suit when Aleo struck forward like a scorpion to grasp him by the shoulder. _

"_Link, just because you're without the courage Triforce does not mean that you are any less important, or useful." _

"_I'll be fine Aleo." Link retorted as he attempted to pull away. Aleo tightened his grip on him and pulled their faces within inches of each other. _

"_I don't think you will be Link, I think that since losing the Triforce you haven't felt yourself, like part of you is missing. I'm worried that such a violent separation from your power may cause some form of withdrawals. Don't push yourself."_

"_I know my limits."_

"_You knew your limits, they're different now."_

"_Let me go." he said flatly._

"_I just want to make sure you don't hurt yourself."_

"_Your Zelda's advisor, not mine. I have to go." _

"_Link I-"_

_Link shook his shoulders violently and Aleo spun backwards and nearly staggered to the ground. Link froze in the threshold of the door and stared back at him. Aleo had been so upfront and assertive that he had forgotten his age. He looked so fragile and weak as he stood his full height and glared at Link. _

"_Go then." Aleo spat. Link quickly ducked behind the door and continued outside._

_The moment he stepped outside Link knew that something was wrong. Normally Link enjoyed the rain, it was natural and wonderful. But this rain wasn't right, there was no smell of wet stone in the air and the droplets beat against the street in too an irregular fashion. Somewhere in the distance bluebirds sang and pigeons cooed as though it were sunny. The world was not silent and peaceful like it should be, people ran across the market square screaming and crying. They ignored the rain. Link didn't like this. There was no god in this rain._

_Zelda was waiting for him in the center of the street. She had a long steel bow in her right hand and was drawing an arrow from the polished metal quiver on her back. Her gaze darted from person to person, building to building, street to street._

"_Where are they? Where are they?!" she shouted fiercely at one of the city guards. "Who are they?" _

_The guards were busy herding the last of the crowds into the buildings and apparently did not hear her first question. One of them stepped out of the flow of people to approach Link and the princess._

"_Uh, I wasn't told much your majesty" he stammered. "They just said that there were monsters and bandits approaching form the east. Wizards, some of the guards are saying. Apparently they're using some powerful sort of magic. "_

"_To do what?" Link asked._

"_I really don't know" the guard began. "They ju-"_

_Before he could finish his sentence a thick iron arrow stung him through his neck. It whizzed in one side of his flesh and out the other in order to lodge itself between two stone tiles less than a foot away from where Zelda was standing. Link and Zelda both traced the arrows trajectory back to a hooded figure on a rooftop about 35 feet off the ground. The figure was already drawing the string of its bow for another shot._

"_They're on the roof!!" shouted Link as he vaulted over the guards corpse. _

_The figure followed Links head with its bow let the arrow fly. A loud twang was heard for miles in all directions and Link had just enough time to bob his head forward in order to meet the arrow to his helmet. The steel and iron clanged together with a deafening force and left a good sized dent thrusting into Links brow. A pain riddled moan escaped his lips as the blow toppled him to the ground. _

_Zelda quickly returned fire, along with all the guards armed with bows. A storm of arrowheads erupted from the ground and zeroed in on their target. _

_Without hesitation the figure waved its left hand and a soft purple glow emanated from its palm. The arrows flew through radiating light and shattered into dust and rubble against the hooded form. The figure reared back and vomited forth a sickening laugh, in the process revealing that it was a female._

_Link climbed to his feet and drew his sword from the scabbard on his back. The gleaming silver blade and dazzlingly bright blue hilt of the sword stood out violently against the dull faded grey of the stone walls and streets. He slumped the shield off his back and slipped his arm through the double buckled strap on the inside. He took off across the square like a blazing human rocket. He ran parallel to a second volley of arrows overhead. They met the same fate as the last, crumbling to nothing against the robed woman's body. _

_The streets were completely empty now. The guards had finally cleared out the public and only the fusillade of twanging bowstrings and falling rain could be heard echoing throughout the city. The mysterious women kept firing arrows into the swarms of guards below, she aimed for the throat and her projectiles always found their marks. _

_Link burst through the door of the building underneath her, it was an old public library. The grand foyer was a large circular room with pale white tiles. Two sets of double doors stared at each other from across the room perpendicular to where Link was standing. Directly across from him, a towering staircase twisted up clockwise through the roof. The sounds of the archery battle in the rain outside galloped into the room and bounced off the tiles to fill the every orifice of the building. _

_He darted across the plaster ocean and started up the stairs. He ran up in circles three steps at a time, fighting against his body's weariness and the very forces of gravity. He kept running until he got to the third floor where he was suddenly faced with an all too familiar figure._

_The murderer from his village spared him no formalities. The instant he saw Links head pop up from behind the wooden railings, he swung his mighty great axe with dreadful force. The freshly sharpened blade struck Link squarely in the chest and rippled through his armor to sweep him off his feet. Link only had enough time to glimpse his assailant's beast like grin and greasy red skin before tumbling backwards down the stairs. _

_He fell head over heels for what felt like ten minuets. The restricting metal of his cuirass twisted and dug into his flesh like a knife as he stumbled and rolled against the cold stone steps. His fall was completed as he twisted over a final time and cracked the back of his helmet against the tile floor. By now he was grateful that he had worn the armor. _

_Link climbed to his feet and stared up the center of the spiral staircase. The murderer's devilish face peered over at him from above, like a hawk about to dive upon its prey. _

"_You have a powerful resistance of death." the murderer observed. "But we will see how you shall fare without your courage." _

"_You son of a bitch!" Link yelled up to him as he cradled the back of his throbbing head. "When I get up there, I'll show you fear! I'll make you pay for what you did!"_

"_haHaHA!" the murderer cackled. "Maybe before you do that, you should introduce yourself to my friends."_

_Link had no chance to retort before the man uttered a series of animal like screams and noises. Link realized almost immediately where he had heard those kinds of noises before. It was the chatter of Moblins; the murderer spoke it like a language though Link had always thought of it as just the mindless squawking of wild animals. _

_Apparently though it was a language, because the murderer's call was immediately answered by more of the shrieks and groans. He was calling for backup. Soon dozens of different 'voices' could be heard roaring from down the upper floors. Next, the dull rumble of footsteps stampeding down the stairs resonated through the air. Then they appeared, the moblin hoard cascaded down the steps, dozens of them. Where did they all come from Link wondered. _

_Moblins disgusted Link, in every way possible. He could never stand to look at them for long. Their thick leathery skin was covered with pustules, festering with disease, with the texture of burnt bacon. Their gnarled jagged teeth grew in uneven, grotesque formations, sticking out in all directions like porcupines sewn into their gums. Many could not completely close their jaws without piercing the insides of their mouths. The smell of them was unbearable; like sweaty, gamy, rats meat that's been left in the sun to rot for days. Looking in their eyes will scar you for life. They're blacker and emptier than sharks' eyes. They are not simply black, in color, but instead are actually holes in time and space that continue in through their skulls to impossible depths. Their 'clothes' were feeble mold infested attempts at modesty, and hung loosely on their muscular heavyset bodies. They each carried at least one short sword, with some having secondary swords strapped to their waists. Some carried wooden shields and a select few wore leather armor._

_Link grimaced; he had already fought more moblins in his lifetime than he ever cared to, but he must fight on._

_The first moblin of the pack rushed forward and swung its sword high over its head. Link raised his shield and blocked the blade so that is slid off to the side. He then brought his own sword down into the creature throat. It cut halfway through its neck and splattered thick black blood on the snow white tile floor._

_Four more moblins approached and link rotated his body to bring his boot into the side of the first one's head, and then whipped his heel back into the second. He slashed diagonally across another ones chest, a deep wound that nearly skewered it. The fourth one swung at Links head while he was preoccupied with the others. He had just enough time to duck under the strike and swipe upwards to slice off its arm. A powerful stream of blood flowed rhythmically from its bloody stump of bone and flesh. The moblin wailed in pain as its fluids gushed onto Links clothing. _

_One of the moblins wearing armor leaped in front of him and stabbed violently at his head. Their swords clanged together and sent spark trailing off into the air. They stood toe to toe as their blades spun and parried each other. Their swords danced through the air like sparrows in the springtime. Link eventually won out by jerking forward and severing the monsters thumb, causing his weapon to fall to the ground. Link finished it off with a speedy stabbing to its chest which sent a plume of blood bounding out of the wound. _

_By now the murderer had giddily trotted down the steps and was nearly jumping with glee at the fight scene before him. _

"_Yes, Yes!! Fight, fight! Bleed, bleed!! Die!!!!" He chanted and sang with childlike innocence in the face of the grisly situation._

_Link hated him; he hated him for what he did and who he was. For the past few days since his ordeal Link had been in a state of shock, not fully realizing what had taken place. But now with the loathsome creature mere inches from him, it was like experiencing it all over again. The images of Rusle dyeing in links arms were burned into the inside of his right eyelid. In his left eye was the future as he was ready to make it, the murderer's lacerated body lying in a shallow grave, slaughtered like a lamb. _

_Link rushed forward and swung at the mans solder. The man quickly batted the strike away with the hilt of his axe and back swung horizontally at Link's head. Link ducked fast enough to only have his helmet be nicked by the underside of the axe. He then stabbed violently at the mans stomach, but the sword reverberated off against his armor. The murderer hacked directly in front of him, which allotted enough time for link to sidestep the attack. The axe thundered several inches into the floor and sent a mushroom cloud of plaster dust and crumbles swirling up in to the air. Link reared back in order to attack again but the man was quicker in jerking the axe free of the floors grip and striking Link with the flat of the axe._

_The blow knocked Link off his feet and threw him across the foyer into the large wooden door to the left. The wood splintered into a fine mist as he flew clear through to the other side, a large hall full of bookcases. During the collision, his shield was ripped away from his arm by the thick wood. It clanged to the floor and skidded off several yards into the labyrinth of bookcases. Pain echoed through Link's body as his head whiplashed against the shelf of the first bookcase in his path, effectively toppling the first bookcase domino in a long progression. One after another the shelves fell against each other until the final one crashed into the distant wall._

_The murderer strolled briskly into the hall, followed by a parade of moblins. The Cretans stayed in place as Link rose to his feet; he was their master's kill. The murderer smiled darkly at him, then glanced sideways at his discarded shield. Link knew what he was planning to do even before he made his left hand into a fist and raised it up to shoulder level. _

"_Oh, and I meant to tell you," he said with mock sympathy. "Your horse was delicious." he threw open his hand revealing the Triforce of fear emblazoned on his palm, and projected a beam of light towards Link once again. _

_Link didn't have time to appreciate the cold dagger of dread that had just been placed in his heart. He reflexively crossed his sword and right gauntlet in front of his face to protect himself from the oncoming nightmares._

_But something unexpected happened; the beam of light struck the Master sword and stopped. The entire blade quivered and glowed a sickly violet. Then, without warning, the sword reflected the beam back at the opposite side of the room in a billowing wave of light that swept over both the murderer and his army of moblins. They were instantly over encumbered by the powerful lightning like glow. The moblins fell to the floor and writhed in agony, clawing their own eyes out. They slowly began to stiffen and soon the change began to happen. It started at their feet, the soles of their shoes faded to gray as they hardened into stone. It continued up their legs and onto their torsos, constricting their movements and causing them further pain. In less than a moment the entire crowd of creatures had become a sea of statues. _

_The murderer himself was affected differently, he fell to the ground and shook in pain the same as the others, but he wasn't turning to stone. Instead he simply froze in the middle of his thrashing, still fully himself but immobile. It was more like he was paralyzed. _

_As he watched over the increasingly motionless crowd, Links initial fear and confusion ebbed into realization. The Triforce was created from pure light for good. So if the dark Triforce was created in parallel to it, then it would be made of darkness and evil. The Master sword was created to repel evil, so it reflected the power of the Darkforce back at them._

_Link recovered his shield from the sidelines and walked over to the murderer's body. He stared down at the mans inanimate corpse and wondered if he would ever wake up. It took very little thought before Link decided that he would not take the chance. He raised his sword high above his head and felt his anger flow into the blade. _

_Link was so focused on the murderer that he didn't notice the hooded woman standing in the foyer holding a small throwing knife. The town guards outside were so preoccupied fighting moblins that they hadn't noticed that Zelda had disappeared. And everyone was so busy that no one noticed the mysterious slender man purposefully walking up the steps to the castle._


	6. Chapter 6

ZDT Chap 6

The slender man calmly creaked open the large doors of the throne room and slipped inside. Aleo was sitting in his small padded chair next to the main throne when the uninvited guest entered and he instantly jerked his head upwards to examine him.

He was a young and attractive man, with a sharp, distinguished chin and cheekbones. His skin was clean cut, smooth and unblemished. A thick mane of strawberry blonde hair framed a pair of bright blue starry eyes that shimmered and glistened as he moved. They acted as bold brazen headlights, lighting his way at night. He was elegant in dress, wearing a fine silk outfit colored deep crimson red and a floor length traveling cloak which was currently draped over the left side of his body.

Seconds after Aleo looked up, the guard on his right and the one to the left of the main throne followed his gaze to the intruder. Without a moments hesitation the two men sprang forward with drawn swords.

"Stop where you are!" the left one bellowed as they charged at him like a pair of raging bulls.

Instead of a vocal response the intruder tossed his cloak over his shoulder and waved his left hand across the room. A bright violet flash erupted from a triangle on his palm and filled the room. As the light passed by the two men their bodies went limp as rag dolls. They tumbled over mid-sprint and continued to slide across the polished stone floor like rocks thrown out onto a frozen lake. They slid past the man and all the way to the opposite side of the room and violently hit the wall. They were alive, still breathing and everything, but their faces wore a dazed stupefied expression.

As the intruder continued to approach, Aleo rose from his seat and drew a small hidden knife from his thigh. The intruder stop short several yards away the thrones.

"Hello." the intruder said smoothly as he gave a graceful bow. Aleo was tempted to attack while the man was bent over and even nudged forward an inch before he stopped himself. If the man noticed this, he did not show it. "Please address me as Jackide." he spoke flatly, as though everything he said was undeniable truth.

He stood still for a moment, apparently waiting for Aleo to respond, but nothing was said, so he continued. "When someone greets you with their name it is customary to extend yours as well."

"It's also customary not to murder someone's bodyguards after entering unannounced." Aleo countered.

"Their not dead," Jackide said as he glanced back at the two bodies. Once again, Aleo considered rushing him while he was facing away. But he got the feeling that the intruder was keener to his surroundings than he let on. "I have simply retarded them." he finished, returning his gaze to the old man. "I've stolen their wits."

"The Triforce of ignorance, I would presume." Aleo said as he brandished his knife.

"Yes, that's right!" Jackide exclaimed. "It's really quite handy, it allows me to-" there was a short pause as he searched for the proper word to use. "Steal, shall we say, the thoughts of others." He brought his palm close to his face and staring amorously at the dark triangle, losing sight of Aleo for the third time. Once again Aleo chose not to act within the small window of opportunity and Jackide looked back at him. "Would you like a demonstration?"

Aleo knew that something was about to happen and that it would most likely leave him dead. He cursed himself for not attacking at previous opportunities, he felt like a fool for striking now but he had to defend himself.

He lashed forward with his blade, taking aiming to puncture the intruder's chest. Jackide swiftly side stepped the knife and took firm grasp of Aleo's arm. He jerked the old man forward as he thrust his forehead out, effectively head-butting him in the face. Aleo fell backwards onto his small wooden throne with blood flowing from his broken nose like a faucet and relinquished his grip on the knife.

Jackide swooped down and recovered the weapon before it had even hit the ground. He spun on his toes and brought the blade down just above Aleo's right wrist. He stabbed hard and went clear trough the decrepit mans bones and into the wood of the chair, pinning his arm to the throne. Aleo raised his left arm to grab him, but in a flash of steel and blood he had drawn a hidden secondary knife and nailed that arm to the wood as well.

Aleo, still refusing to die without a fight, swung his leg up in the air hoping to catch Jackide in the face. Jackide easily predicted the attack and caught his ankle. He placed his other hand just above Aleo's knee and bent his leg backwards, easily breaking it. His fragile shin bone splintered like a twig, and as his foot was brought within inches from his hip he felt the jagged edge the bone tare through the flesh on the back of his leg. Jackide then bent down and saved Aleo the trouble of attempting to kick him with his other leg and broke it as well. The pain was so intense that when Aleo reared his head back to scream nothing came out. The only noise audible was the splattering of blood drops as they fell from his leg wounds and onto the cold granite floor.

"Now that I have your attention," Jackide continued as though nothing had happened. "I'd like to show you something that I find, quite interesting."

"You **ate **Epona you sick twisted fuck, I'll kill you!"

Link stood over the murderer with anger seething through his veins and tears peeking out from behind his eyes. He held the master sword high above his head and stopped for a moment to appreciate the weight of the blade. It felt heavy and dangerous and its power radiated through his body. He stiffened his arm and started to let the sword fall forward.

The whistling of a knife flying through the air only granted Link enough time to look up and watch as it buried itself under his arm. The blade sliced through his muscles and ligaments like butter and jammed itself in his arm socket. Searing hot pain burned through his arm as the bones of his joint ground against the icy cold metal. The knife jammed the movement of his arm, stopping him in mid-swing and causing the master sword to slip from his grip and fall onto the murderer's leg.

Link doubled over with pain and frustration as he fell to his knees. The robed woman several yards in front of him chuckled to herself as she drew a polished short sword from her waist. As she slowly began to stride towards him, she pulled back her hood and unbuttoned her thick black robe to reveal a weathered middle aged face perched atop a husky full figured body wearing a thin outfit of calico. Her jet black hair was cut short into a vicious buzz cut.

Link quickly reach into his armpit and wrenched the knife out of him in a swift arc of blood. He attempted to retrieve his sword, only to suffer a shooting pain in his arm as he tried to lift it. Not one to be phased, he pivoted on his knees and scooped up his blade with his right hand.

The woman accelerated her pace from a saunter to a mad dash towards Link with her sword held straight out like a battering ram. He jumped up to his feet and clumsily deflected her attack. She instantly resituated herself into offensive stance and attacked again. The master sword felt heavy and cumbersome in Link's other hand, and he began to sweat as he labored to match the woman's lightning fast attacks. She violently, repetitively, and surprisingly gracefully stabbed at him in blitzkrieg fashion as she weaved from side to side like a pro boxer.

Link was panting now, as the woman flashed him a smile that, under other circumstances, could have been considered charming. It was more than obvious now that she was toying with him and her malevolence was pouring fuel onto the fires of his exasperation. Finally, after what seemed to Link like hours of sparing she decided to end it. Without missing a beat she abandoned her stabbing tactic for a powerful horizontal slash against his chest plate. Following through with the momentum from the strike, she whirled her body around and out stretched her left arm with serpent like quickness to dig her fang like nails into Link's neck flesh.

He grimaced tightly as the insidious glow of her Triforce flickered over his face. He could feel his strength flowing from his body like water poured from a spout. It seemed to simply dissipate from his body and radiate out into the air. His body went involuntarily limp and crumpled under the weight of his own armor.

The women widened her smile by a nautical mile as she stood above his withered form. Link's eyed widened by twice as much in fear and despair as she unhooked another throwing knife from her belt. Just from seeing the was it glinted in the musty light of the room he could tell it was sharp, so sharp that it seemed to cut open the very air it moved through. She held the knife out precariously between her forefinger and thumb over his throat.

Adrenaline surged through Link's veins like a river flows through a mountain. He struggled helplessly to lift himself off the ground to no avail, his bones it seemed, had turned to lead. The devilish woman cocked her head and continued her maniacal Poe-like laughter. Link moved his head to look up at her just as she released the knife.

No sooner had she let go of the blade than a lone arrow shot straight through her stomach to catch the dagger above Link's face with enough force to drive it a good ten feet away from its intended target.

The woman stared down at the small hole in her abdomen in a state of shock. Link strained to lift his head in order to look between her legs to where Zelda stood in the foyer with her large gallant bow drawn back to launch another projectile. In the blink of an eye she released the twine and sent the arrow hurtling towards the back of the woman's head.

Snapping instantly back from her astonishment, the woman twisted the upper part of her body 90 degrees and plucked the arrow from its trajectory. As she did so, she raised her left arm and fired another wave of violet light from her palm aimed directly at the princess. Zelda managed to cartwheel out of view from the doorway just as the light swept past her.

She reached down to the leather quiver strapped to her thigh and drew out three arrows at once. Holding them firm between all four of her fingers, she steadied them against the bowstring and yanked them back as far as they would go. She turned the bow horizontal and jumped back in front of the door where she saw that the woman had predictably stood in the same place with her arm still outstretched in order to quickly attack again.

Acting faster than the woman's reaction time, Zelda released her grip and the tightly packed arrow cluster slithered forth through the air. They struck the woman just below her outstretched palm. The outer two arrows horrendously sliced off the skin and ligaments on either side of her wrist, skimming up her arm and cutting deep into her shoulder before being deflected off the bone. The center arrow penetrated just between where the two bones in her arm met, causing them to split away from each other with gut-wrenching pop and leaving her hand hanging from her forearm by a thing strip of muscle.

The woman screamed loud enough to break glass as she fell onto her knees. She began desperately clutching at her wrist in a feeble attempt to stop the cavalcade of blood that was streaming from her open veins. She gritted her teeth, causing the arteries in her neck to bulge out like a craggy mountain side. In the midst of her pain she was able to pull out yet another knife and managed to hurl it at Zelda, easily slicing the taunt bowstring in half.

The violent movement of her throw caused her partially severed hand to jerk violently, and the muscle tether snapped under the strain. Her hand rolled onto the floor and slid across the ever growing lake of blood, coming to stop against the side of Link's leg. Link struggled against his own weight to force strength into his extremities. He willed his arm to move forward and slide over the disembodied hand at his feet.

The woman tucked her gory stump of an arm into her right armpit as she continued her series of baying howls. She reached down with her remaining hand and fumbled a small glass orb from her rucksack. Without a moments pause she brought the orb down to meet the ground with a thundering crash. The orb shattered to realease a giant mushroom cloud of thick grey smoke. The fog quickly spread to all corners of the room, tightly wrapping itself around everything in its grasp, choking to death everything in its path.

Zelda drew her long sword and rushed forward into the center of the room, swinging wildly at where the woman had been a second ago. Powerful gusts of wind reverberated against her blade and blew the haze around in a torrential cyclone of dust and powder. Within moments Zelda's arms were burning from exertion and the smog had cleared, but the woman and the unconscious murderer were gone. Zelda quickly ran to where Link was lying on the ground and helped him to sit upright. He smiled up at her and held up the woman's detached hand with the Triforce of weakness flickering on the palm.

"High five." he said weakly.


End file.
